Events
Part of collection: National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) records (2345)
Dates
- From the Collection: Creation: 1914-1985
Historical Note
The first annual National Foreign Trade Convention was held in May 1914 and preceded the formation of the National Foreign Trade Council. The Convention became the NFTC's principal event and the one time in which most of its members could congregate. Arranging the conventions was one of the major duties of the NFTC staff.
During the last half of the twentieth century, the conventions were typically divided into general and special sessions that focused either on topical concerns such as industrial relations, education, trade barriers, foreign investment, international finance, energy concern and the like, or on regional developments such as trade with Latin America, the European Union, or Asia and the western Pacific. The conventions also featured exhibits, a series of group luncheons, a general banquet, and later a "World Trade Dinner."
In earlier years, the National Foreign Trade Convention circulated around the country, but in the post-1950 period it was usually held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. In addition to the NFTC membership, the conventions attracted government officials and public policy experts from the U.S. and its international trading partners.
Through 1974, the conventions published a final declaration, which represented the NFTC's stand on current issues and its policy recommendations. Beginning in 1975, the declaration was published in the name of the NFTC itself, and generally issued after the convention.
Beginning in 1938, the convention culminated with the bestowal of the annual Captain Robert Dollar Memorial Award upon the individual who, in the words of then NFTC President Eugene P. Thomas, "shall have made during the preceding calendar year the most outstanding contribution towards the advancement of the foreign trade of our country."
Scope and Content
The Events series files relating to the National Foreign Trade Conventions have been arranged in three subseries: General; Conventions; and The Robert Dollar Award.
General subseries consists of files about the operation of the conventions in general, including notes on comparative costs and topical digests of the final declarations. There are also copies of ceremonial letters from the Presidents of the United States from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Jimmy Carter, some of which are in the general and some in the annual files. These letters are on White House stationery with facsimile signatures and usually contain nothing more than a bland assessment of current trade and international issues.
Conventions subseries arranges the papers dealing with each convention chronologically from the fifth in 1918 to the seventy-second in 1987. For the period from 1918 to 1939, the file is generally limited to a copy of the final declaration. From the 1952 into the 1980s, the files are much more thorough. They contain all of the paperwork generated by arranging and staging the convention, including securing the hotel facilities, arranging the seating and menus for the luncheons and banquets (often with floor plans of the hotels), publicity, registration and invitations to non-members, arranging the programs for individual and general sessions, recruiting speakers and honorees, copies of speeches and papers, drafts and final copies of declarations, final accounting, and printing of the proceedings.
The Robert Dollar Award subseries consists of files assembled for the nomination, selection and award process for the Captain Robert Dollar Memorial Award. Records relating to the nomination, selection, and award process for the Captain Robert Dollar Memorial Award. Folders typically include correspondence and memoranda concerning selection of award committee; letters of nomination from various NFTC members and officers, with biographical information and nominator's opinions on the nominee's fitness for the award; correspondence concerning balloting for the award, tabulation of results, and final decisions; arrangements for awardees' attendance at honors event, with organizational correspondence relating to production of award plaque, drafts of event speeches, press clippings and press releases.
Extent
From the Collection: 183 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Additional Description
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Litigators may not view the collection without approval.
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
